A United States court has reissued an arrest order for Allen Onyema, the founder and CEO of Air Peace Limited, in connection with a $20 million bank fraud case that has been pending against him for five years.
The federal district court for Northern Georgia, Atlanta, renewed the arrest warrant on October 9, following the addition of new charges against Mr. Onyema and his co-defendant, Ejiroghene Eghagha, the airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance.
US authorities filed the superseding indictment on October 8, adding new counts of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice to the existing charges.
The two new counts bring the total number of charges to 38, including 36 counts of conspiracy, money laundering, bank fraud, credit application fraud, and identity theft.
On the same day the superseding indictment was filed, Assistant US Attorney Christopher Huber requested a new arrest warrant after the initial one issued in 2019.
On October 9, a deputy clerk of the court signed and delivered the new arrest warrant to the US Marshals, the agency responsible for apprehending fugitives.
It is important to recall that, prior to the filing of charges in 2019, Russell Vineyard, a magistrate at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, had issued an arrest warrant for Messrs. Onyema and Eghagha in Canada.
American prosecutors had sought the warrant to enable Canadian law enforcement authorities to detain the suspects if they were found in their jurisdiction.
In another warrant issued on November 19, 2019, Justin Anand, an American magistrate of the same court, ordered the US Marshals Service to take them into custody.
The charges pending since 2019 accuse Mr. Onyema of transferring suspicious funds from Nigeria to American bank accounts between 2017 and 2018, disguised as money intended for aircraft purchases.
Mr. Onyema and Mr. Eghagha allegedly organized the fraud by applying for export letters of credit to move funds from a Nigerian bank account to the bank account of Mr. Onyema’s Atlanta-based company, Springfield Aviation LLC, between 2016 and 2017.
Prosecutors claim the funds were supposedly for purchasing aircraft from Springfield Aviation for Air Peace, both of which are owned by Mr. Onyema.
However, the aircraft referenced in each export letter of credit were never owned or sold by Springfield Aviation.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants made false statements and misrepresented the value of property to influence the actions of the American banks involved.
Mr. Eghagha is said to have submitted false documents, including fabricated purchase agreements, bills of sale, and valuation reports, to Ebony Mayfield, who signed and submitted them to the banks in support of the letters of credit.
Ms. Mayfield, who had worked as a bartender, restaurant waitress, and nightclub dancer, was hired in 2016 as a manager for Springfield Aviation and authorized to enter into contracts on the firm’s behalf.
Prosecutors assert that Ms. Mayfield “had no connection to the aviation business outside of her role with Springfield Aviation and had no education, training, or licensing in the review and valuation of aircraft, including aircraft components.”
In October 2022, the US District Court sentenced Ms. Mayfield to three years’ probation for her role in the alleged fraud.
Prosecutors continue to assert that Mr. Onyema established and used Springfield Aviation “to facilitate large transfers of funds from his Nigerian bank accounts to the United States.”
In 2017, Mr. Onyema allegedly moved approximately $15 million from Springfield Aviation’s account at Wells Fargo Bank in Atlanta to his personal savings account with the same bank, through 27 transactions. Each transaction is considered a separate charge of money laundering.
In May 2019, after learning that he was under investigation for bank fraud in the Northern District of Georgia, Mr. Onyema and Mr. Eghagha allegedly instructed Ms. Mayfield to sign a key business contract but were told specifically not to date it.
In October 2019, Onyema allegedly instructed his attorneys to present the same contract, now falsely dated May 5, 2016 (before the bank fraud began), to government authorities in an effort to halt the investigation and unfreeze his bank accounts.
This submission of false documents forms the basis for the new charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice in the superseding indictment.
The US government added two new counts to the charges in the superseding indictment filed last month.
Announcing the superseding indictment, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia accused Mr. Onyema and Mr. Eghagha of “obstruction of justice for submitting false documents to the government in an effort to end an investigation of him that resulted in earlier charges of bank fraud and money laundering.”
Prosecutors claim Mr. Onyema submitted false documents to US authorities in 2019, attempting to stop the investigation and unfreeze his bank accounts regarding the alleged $20 million fraud.
Mr. Eghagha, who is accused of participating in both the alleged obstruction scheme and the earlier bank fraud, is Mr. Onyema’s co-defendant in the case.
“After allegedly using his airline company as a cover to commit fraud on the United States’ banking system, Onyema, along with his co-defendant, allegedly committed additional crimes of fraud in a failed attempt to derail the government’s investigation of his conduct,” the statement quoted US Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.
Additionally, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Lisa Fontanette, from the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office, stated, “Allegedly, Onyema and his accomplices fraudulently used the U.S. banking system in an effort to hide the source of their ill-gotten money.”
Air Peace and Mr. Onyema’s legal team have consistently denied the charges.
In response to the filing of the superseding indictment last month, Air Peace issued a statement asserting that “both Mr. Onyema and Eghagha remain innocent and these are mere allegations, and the case is still in court.”
The airline further added: “Our legal team is fully engaged with the matter and is working tirelessly to ensure that justice prevails. We remain confident that, through due process, the truth will be revealed, and our CEO and co-defendant will be exonerated.”
The airline emphasized that Mr. Onyema and his legal team have consistently cooperated with authorities throughout the legal process, and that Air Peace continues to operate without disruption, maintaining its commitment to delivering high-quality services to its customers.
“We want to reassure the public that these legal proceedings will not impact the safety, reliability, or day-to-day operations of Air Peace. The dedication and focus of our staff remain steadfast as we continue to provide you with the best aviation experience in Nigeria and beyond,” the statement concluded.
